Missouri man's conviction is overturned after more than 30 years in prison for 1990 murder
A judge overturned the conviction of a Missouri man who has spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he has long said he did not commit, possibly paving the way for his freedom.
A judge overturned the conviction of a Missouri man who has spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he has long said he did not commit, possibly paving the way for his freedom.
Christopher Dunn, 52, was 18 when he was accused of fatally shooting Ricco Rogers, 15, on the night of May 18, 1990. Despite no physical evidence linking Dunn to the crime, he was convicted of first-degree murder, based largely on the testimony of two young witnesses who said they saw the shooting. (Dunn's mother and sister had said he was home with them at the time watching television and talking on their landline phone.)
The witnesses, who were 12 and 14, later recanted their testimony and said they were coerced by prosecutors and police.
Dunn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
St. Louis City Judge Jason Sengheiser ruled Monday, weeks after a hearing on Dunn's fate, that the conviction should be overturned. He wrote that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, who filed a motion in February seeking to vacate the guilty verdict, "has made a clear and convincing showing of 'actual innocence' that undermines the basis for Dunn’s convictions because in light of new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt."
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